Hi my kids call me Momma. My son is 4 years old and has SPD traits but he has not been diagnosed. He has a pediatrician appointment to discuss a referral for private speech therapy. His previous doctor didn’t think he had a speech delay when I brought it up to him during a routine checkup. Although he referred me to assure me he didn’t have a delay it turned out he did. Because of this I changed doctors and will meet with his new doctor later this month to discuss private speech therapy and ask about SPD. His hearing was tested as well and came back normal.
He is currently enrolled through our local school district’s Special Education Services here in Oregon and he also attends a preschool with an assistant to help him in the class. They work with his behavior and he spends time with both a speech pathologist and an occupational therapist a few hours a month. But at his preschool he is with children who have average development and behavior/energy level and the assistant helps him participate throughout the class.

He’s very, very active but smart. I’ve been told how smart he is but also how active he is as well. He has amazing retention. He learns something and remembers it such as songs, phrases, words. He has a wide vocabulary but doesn’t use it on his own. He will repeat what you say clearly but won’t tell you how his day went. He loves numbers and shapes and he knows all his preschool basics. He’s a curious child and tries to figure things out for his own and also is independent and will use tools to get what he wants on his own if you let him.

The issues we are having right now with his preschool are him staying in his person space. He’s rough when he plays and bumps into kids a lot for either the reaction or maybe the sensation due to SPD? He loves to climb and jump and occasionally use a chewy when he watches TV.
The SPD symptoms do correlate with what he does on a regular basis; speech delay, seeking out sensation (hugs, bumping into stuff), energy level, attention span, occasionally covering his ears, temperature sensitive to non luke warm showers and drinks, sucks thumb with blanket, likes soft blankets.
The issues we’re having right now are him staying in his “bubble” as his preschool teacher likes to call it and having an outlet for his energy during class. He has issues with his own personal space and bumps into the other children. Last Friday he received a warning after accidentally bumping into a classmate outside which led to her falling and hitting herself. They assure me he’s making progress but the other parents are concerned about their children’s safety because of him bumping into them.
After they have snack the class plays outside but there’s no play equipment or toys so they mainly play tag or take nature walks. He doesn’t run with the other children during this time. I’m not sure if it’s because there’s a street nearby with cars constantly driving by and I tell him to be safe around cars and not run.
The reason I chose this preschool is because they offered this assistant for him and other schools had two “teachers” for 14 children.

I’m just lost on what to do. The information I’m given is pieces and I’m trying to turn what I know into a solution to help him. I want him to feel comfortable and make friends at school. I also am concerned he’ll be slapped with a label before kindergarten.
Thanks
-Momma